The outlook on rooks has improved greatly after the action from Round 2. A few fresh faces have given us hope and confidence appears restored in the structure we started with.

History suggests that this is the round to lock in your rookie selections. After lockout on Friday night the cashcows you don’t have will likely become out of reach. It’s a case of short-term pain for long-term gain. In my opinion, you’re better using both trades to bring in dominant rookies that you may not have in lieu of a sideways trades to chase points. Remember this game is a marathon not a sprint.

So who do we keep and who do we offload…

THOSE THAT MATTER

Dan Butler (Fwd. $204,000, -9 be AF. $132,400, -61 be DT) was solid but not amazing. Playing his accustomed small forward role, he racked up 13 touches, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 1 goal and 59 Fantasy points. His work off the ball would please Hardwick but it doesn’t give any assurances to Fantasy coaches. He’ll probably sneak out the back of the Eagles Web defence a few times this weekend so he’ll be solid again as bench back up. I don’t own him and it’s not a priority for me to bring him in.

Performing well beyond expectations, Will Hoskin-Elliott (Fwd. $317,000, -29 be AF. $258,900, -82 be DT) was arguably the best player on the ground last Friday night. What I’m loving most about WHE is that he’s taking marks all over the ground. He had 12 against the Tigers to go with 21 possessions, 3 tackles, 3 goals and an amazing 124 Fantasy points. As one of the few performing rookies this season, we all need to own him. It’s not too late.Fresh meat in Nic Newman (Def. $175,000, -9 be AF. $132,400 DT) and Will Hayward (Fwd. $228,000, 9 be AF. $129,800 DT) comes in a time of need. Both performed to the level expected at Sydney and both have decent job security in the short term. They scored 77 and 74 Fantasy points respectively and with the lack of punch in defence, if you don’t own Nic Newman then I suggest you trade him in immediately. Hayward is a feasible option too.

49 Fantasy points from Oliver Florent (Fwd/Mid. $227,000, 33 be AF. $174,800, 13 be DT) is about as good as it will get. He started great with 39 Fantasy points to half time but faded badly which is a sign of a youngster. Avoid him.

The neat kicking Teia Miles (Fwd/Mid. $164,000, 7 be AF. $132,400 DT) made a decent debut for Hawthorn with 15 touches, 3 marks, 2 tackles and 54 Fantasy points against the Crows. I sung his praises during the preseason and he did enough to hold his spot especially with Birchall out for a month. Interestingly, he was given a few kicking in duties (one he butchered) but it shows that Clarkson is prepared to back him in. As a dual position forward / mid that is cheap, it’s hard to ignore him.

Crows pair Andy Otten (Def. $186,000, -13 be AF. $132,400, -48 be DT) and Curtly Hampton (Def. $244,000, 5 be AF. $171,500, -41 be DT) did their job for Fantasy coaches. 81 and 66 Fantasy points respectively is pretty decent output from a rook especially this season. I still wouldn’t go out of my way to trade either of these two into your team. I still believe Otten will make way for Lever and Hampton hasn’t been scoring as well as expected. Good but not amazing.

Ben Ainsworth (Fwd/Mid. $288,000, 17 be AF. $206,300, -36 be DT) 56 and Jack Bowes (Fwd/Mid. $237,000, 36 be AF. $179,300, 9 be DT) 40 didn’t save their side from a humiliating defeat. With little A-grade support around them, both youngsters are going to struggle to reach the scores that we require for AFL Fantasy. Pass.

In my professional opinion, Tim Taranto (Fwd/Mid. $249,000, 33 be AF. $215,300, 22 be DT) is just warming up. I know he’s not hitting the scores we need but his role for the Giants allows him to reach 70+ Fantasy points each week. Playing up forward and on the ball, he finished with 8 kicks, 7 handballs, 4 tackles and 54 Fantasy points against the Suns. Owners should hold Taranto. The talent is there; he just hasn’t put it all together yet.

Jake Barrett (Mid. $194,000, -8 be AF. $134,800, -50 be DT) is lacking a little polish. He can win a bit of the ball and tackle well but he really must use it better. Playing at half forward, Barrett could only manage 11 possessions (64% efficiency), 3 marks, 7 tackles and 65 Fantasy points. Don’t be surprised if Barrett loses his spot to McCluggage this week…I’m really quite worried.

Andrew McGrath (Def/Mid. $304,000, 13 be AF. $219,800, -45 be DT) is cruising along nicely but some junk time helped him reach 65 Fantasy points against the Lions. You seriously cannot spend that much on McGrath in Fantasy and bring him in now. I wouldn’t even trade him into Dreamteam. My gut tells me that he’s about to hit a wall.

Braydon Preuss (Ruc. $209,000, -30 be AF. $132,400, -85 be DT) take a bow! The big unit came in for Goldy late and none of us expected him to hit a three figure score. He finished with 13 possessions, 4 marks, a whopping 46 hitouts, 5 tackles and 105 Fantasy points. We all own Preuss so it’s just a note of commendation really. Majak will make way for Goldy this week so don’t worry about Preussy’s job security.

A good game from Kayne Turner (Fwd. $244,000, 7 be AF. $180,900, -29 be DT) has him as a notable Fantasy contributor in Round 2. Lively like he usually is at half forward, Turner finished with 9 kicks, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 2 goals and 78 Fantasy points. Once a yoyo scorer, always a yoyo scorer. Not for me until he provides consistency and even then he’ll be too expensive.

Ice in his veins! George Horlin-Smith (Mid. $262,000, 23 be AF. $201,700, -10 be DT) kicked the winning goal for the Cats in their nail biting win of the Roos and he needed it too in order to reach a mild 59 Fantasy points at the final siren. The problem with GHS is his game time being hindered by the Cats coaching staff for no apparent reason. In Round 1, he only got 64% time on ground followed by 66% last week. This is affecting his scoring and it’s frustrating for owners including myself. With Miles available, it makes sense to bank the $100k.

Brandan Parfitt (Fwd/Mid. $212,000, 22 be AF. $125,300, -24 be DT) was electric in the first quarter. 29 Fantasy points at the first change but not much after that. Parfitt has a poor Fantasy ceiling and for that reason he’s middle pack in the desired bunch of rookies.

Tom Stewart (Def. $189,000, 17 be AF. $125,300, -19 be DT) just doesn’t want to win the footy. Playing a lockdown role, he’s not getting the touches that we need and he scored a mere 43 Fantasy points against North. Stewart is bench back up only, plain and simple.

Caleb Marchbank (Def. $262,000, -6 be AF. $237,600, -32 be DT) is becoming a rock for our defence. Busy from start to finish, Marchbank had 11 kicks, 5 handballs, 6 marks, 4 tackles and 80 Fantasy points in Round 2. Why aren’t there more rooks like Marchbank!? A must have. Make it happen.

A bit like Taranto, Sam Petrevski-Seton (Mid. $270,000, 18 be AF. $197,300, -25 be DT) is about to go bang. The biggest appeal about SPS is his midfield role. Bolton wants him at the stoppages and in the guts so when his fitness base improves, he’ll be scoring 75+ Fantasy points consistently. He had 64 Fantasy points from 69% TOG last weekend so take note. If Barrett is dropped then I may look at him but his price stings.

Cameron McCarthy (Fwd. $227,000, 26 be AF. $207,600, 15 be DT) would be frustrating to own. Plenty of talent but he’s not getting the supply that he needs from his mids. 0 goals and 43 Fantasy points is what he produced against Port. He’s still got currency so owners should offload him now!

Plenty of junk time boosted his score but Dan Houston (Fwd. $215,000, -30 be AF. $125,300, -94 be DT) was pretty dam good against Fremantle. The forward, turned defender has been a great contributor in the first two rounds and this week he racked up 18 possessions (all kicks at 83% efficiency), 11 marks, 3 tackles and 99 Fantasy points. It would be risky for the non owners to bring him in now though because Jasper Pittard is only a week away and Houston is likely to make way, no matter how good he plays.

Sam Powell-Pepper (Mid. $267,000, -2 be AF. $143,300, -79 be DT) backed up his debut with another cracking game against Fremantle. Playing as a pure mid for Port, SPP looks like a 10-year veteran with his clearances, fend offs and ball use. The beast finished with 25 touches (92% disposal efficiency), 4 marks, 3 tackles and 84 Fantasy points. Solid scores and optimum job security is what Powell-Pepper provides and it comes in a time of need. Owners rejoice.

A late in for Hamish Hartlett, Brett Eddy (Fwd. $163,000, 0 be AF. $109,300, -27 be DT) improved vastly on his Round 1 output. Granted it was against Freo but he still managed 11 possessions, 3 tackles, 2 goals and 68 Fantasy points. I’m not sure if he’ll hold his spot but a few more games out of him at that output would be pretty handy.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

Harley Balic (Fwd/Mid. $150,000, 25 be AF. $132,400 DT) – It appears Balic will make his debut this weekend. He’s coming off 29 touches and 123 Fantasy points for Peel on Saturday and the Dockers need to reignite themselves with some youth. I’m very likely to trade him in this week because of his high ceiling as a rookie and thats rare this season.

Jarrod Berry (Def/Mid. $218,000, 36 be AF. $147,800 DT) – Before he injured his knee, Berry was shaping as a first picked rookie defender prior to Round 1. He’s as tough as they come and would fit nicely in the Lions best 22. His stat line in the NEAFL last weekend read 14 kicks, 15 handballs, 12 marks, 4 tackles, 1 goal and 128 Fantasy points! As a dual position, defender / mid, I am seriously considering him for my D6 position.

Hugh McCluggage (Fwd/Mid. $246,000, 41 be AF. $210,800 DT) – Probably a little pricey for what we need right now but McCluggage is a future star of the AFL. He does everything with style and the Lions will want to get games into him ASAP. If you want to be different then trade him in but I wouldn’t with the cheaper Miles and Balic available.

Fix up your rookies this week. Earning the dollars from playing rooks will set you up for success.

Related

Share:

Author: Jeppa
A legend of the AFL Fantasy game, Jeppa provides the best rookie content on the internet, bar none! Follow the man behind the most viewed Fantasy series on the web, the Juniors, on Twitter: @JeppaDT.

Which 2 should go this week between Tom Stewart, Hibberd, Horlin-Smith, Parfitt and Taranto? At this stage I am thing Hibberd to Newman and Parfitt to Balic but I need to generate as much cash as possible to be able to upgrade.

Always fantastic read and extremely time consuming for yourself so your efforts much appreciated!!
Is WHE a total must?? His record against the Swans is extremely poor (33/30)
I might’ve missed the boat

Any thoughts on Setterfield or Brodie??
Don’t know why the latter can’t get a game ahead of Bowes
One is hard at it and the other very timid

His record against everyone is extremely poor. But yeah, wouldnt have thought he will set the world on fire against the hungry swans at the SCG. If I didn’t have him I wouldnt go too far out of my way (ie ruin team structure) to get him in. But do it you want, he should be pushing 400k+ in a months time.

Currently weighing up whether to get Miles or Balic to come in at f6. Wouldn’t mind a second opinion. One will be this week and the other next week if all goes well.

Might save me 5k or so going with Miles this week and with the fact he plays GC, and the unknown around Balic not having played yet (ross may only give him 55% tog like he did with blakely last year), I’m leaning towards getting Miles first.

I’m in your position exactly. Because we’re getting both over the next few weeks, we want to get the one that will go up the most cash this week. Miles has a better matchup, we know his role, and has a lower BE. Unless Balic goes big Miles is the best bet this week.

Either way, you’re getting out Steven so it’s between EVE, Hanners and Roughy.
Keep Roughy, Hanners will lose you money, and EVE is not doing anything.
Considering Hanners is going to bleed cash, I’d go option 2.
Bring in Gaff or Murphy. If you want to jump on the Oliver train, check him out too.
But definitely use Option 2 as your template this week.

I think most of us will still have the likes of Stewart/Barrett/Pickett or similar scoring rookies on the bench & you have a lot of the “better” ones already so think you prolly do have the luxury of going against the grain this week & imo mills just has to go

Look at the team sheets cos if JJ doesn’t play Otts will play forward and ruck which = more points. If JJ is in, he’ll play back. And with Lever back in he’ll be more lock down. That said, bench Curtly.

I was kind of the opposite but with McGrath. Yeah he junked it late, but some guys junk it early, some junk it in the middle. End result is 65pts. He looks at home in the seniors and sure he’ll have the occasional bad one, but his JS isn’t shaky like the others. I rate him above Marchbank at least.

Thinking of going Taranto to Houston, and Mills to Lloyd (132k in bank).

Other options I had:
Taranto to Riley, Mills to Lloyd (62k in bank)
Eddy to Houston, Mills to Lloyd (26k in bank)
Eddy to WHE, Mills to Salem (4k in bank)
Taranto to WHE, Mills to Salem (110k in bank)

I think Houston will be more of a cash cow but his JS is a worry. Also think bringing in WHE is a bigger risk as I’m paying more and sacrificing bringing in Lloyd. WHE could also spud it up this week.
Not sure whether to hold Taranto (I only had him in as a cow) and I don’t think he’ll increase in value?
Not happy with Mills’ role atm. No doubt I’ll trade him this week and he’ll explode.

Like most rooks, I only trade them out when they stop getting games… especially if their JS is shaky. So he gets dropped in real life, he gets dropped from my Fantasy squad. Takes ‘thoughts’ out of it, which in my case is a good thing!

What’s the point of keeping a player if they are neither earning cash nor getting you points when there are cheaper options that can do at least one of those things? Just because he’s a “rookie” that’s playing doesn’t mean he should stay in in the squad, there’s plenty of forward rookie options

In RDT he’s only staying now cause GHS is out so he will go for Houston but reading this didn’t change much doesn’t really matter if he’s playing if he isn’t making you any cash exspecially in fantasy. If he pumps out another 50 score he makes me like 10k if your lucky, set to make 11k in RDT after 3rounds!!

Nth Melbourne surprisingly are one of the hardest to score against after 2 games, Blundstone arena is one of the most restrictive grounds in the country so if I had the luxury to move him on in RDT I would, wouldn’t even think about it twice in fantasy

If so, would advise either cash grab with a view to getting Riewoldt (or similar big fwd) in in the next 2 weeks, OR get Merrett/Rocky. If you are losing a potential top 8 mid you need to replace with another. Oliver won’t be that.

Jeppa & DTT’ers, I know he is not a rookie but he hasn’t played many afl games so it would be great to get your opinion on him. Ryan Burton. I am looking at getting rid of z jones to him…thoughts? obviously he will be on the field…

“There is always a handful of players at every club that like to change up their jumper numbers
in the off season. Some do it for a fresh start, others out of superstition and Ryan Burton does
it to make statements. He was handed the prized number 5 jumper of now West Coast Eagle and
club champion Sam Mitchell. You can bet that Mitchell, although departed, would have had
some sort of say in who got his jumper, surely they would have given him at least that amount
of respect. So for Burton to attain this number has significant meaning behind it.
Burton who was picked up in the 2015 draft with pick 19 is a goal kicking midfielder who was
touted as a potential top 10 pick before a bout of glandular fever struck before the draft.
Played four games in his first season at AFL level for a fantasy season average of just 46.8 and
was named for the Hawk’s qualifying final against Geelong which shows just how much faith
coach Clarkson has in the 20 year old. I currently have him sitting on the bench in my best
22 for the Hawks, though he could just as easily find himself in their back six if he plays the
pre season like he did in his round 23 match last season coming off a HBF. He will need to fight
it out for a spot with the aforementioned Daniel Howe, Whitecross and Henderson as his main
rivals so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the challenge. There is no shortage of
love though for the talented youngster and if he manages to get his chance, could be a smokey
selection for fantasy coaches with a price tag of just $240k and the added bonus of DPP
FWD/DEF status. Watch closely.”

Was wondering how he got Mitchell numbers. Hadn’t read that before thanks man 🙂
I’m gonna risk it in Fantasy & bring him in for Mills exspecially with Birchall out, think paying the extra over Newman since I want him on field for 3-4 weeks is a better option for my team.

If it really is one week and Mountford isn’t named, then Mountford might be the better trade. I’m in the same situation with Hibberd. However, I may still trade Horlin-Smith for the extra cash to upgrade Steven.

I’d say the max you are looking at for Balic is a 25-30k price rise that’s MAX. A guy never seen before playing against the premiers so getting 75+ in a freo side won’t be easy! but atleast you know Miles only has to reach 50 odd to get that & you have pretty much a guaranteed guy sitting there for next week in Balic (if named and all that stuff) at a max of 175-180k